SET TO DEPART 1 JUNE

With a favourable weather forecast, Long Row Home team, Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross, are set to leave Wick on Saturday (1 June) at 11.00 am on their round-Britain world-record attempt. The couple aim to be the first mixed pairs team to circumnavigate Great Britain by rowing boat, during which they will be raising funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).

To achieve the record, Allan and Mhairi must undertake the challenge unassisted, so will not touch land or accept provisions from the moment they depart Wick until they return again.

After months of careful preparation and training, the anticipation is mounting. Mhairi Ross, a paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service and volunteer navigator with the RNLI, said: “Our 7-metre rowing vessel, Boudicea, is now packed with essential supplies, including dehydrated food, our desalination unit, safety equipment and navigational aids. We are all set and keen to get under way.”

Coxswain of the Wick lifeboat, Allan Lipp, said: “Our basic passage plan is now plotted on the chart and it’s all looking very real. This will be adjusted according to weather and tide when we are on our way. We very much appreciate the support of Tom Cunliffe and his colleagues at AngelNav for providing the iPad and electronic charts that will take us around the coastline”

The team have set a fundraising target of £30,000 which will be split between two charities, the RNLI and SCAA. The total already stands at over £7,000, for which the couple are very grateful. They are also very grateful to their sponsors Boralex, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm, Zensar Technologies, Rannoch Adventure, Big Bobble Hats, Upnorth Biltong, Donald S McGregor & Partners Ltd, Pentland Ferries, GA Barnie, Shaw, Ocean Kinetics, Newfield Communications, The Country Spa, Chester Henry Ltd, Angel Nav, The Pat Munro Foundation, Securescot, Lewis Ross Joinery, Rembrand Timber, Mackays Hotel, Wick Harbour Authority.